By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
A Survey conducted by Afrobarometer, through their partners in Sierra Leone, the Institute for Governance Reform (IGR) indicated that the proportion of citizens who prioritized their Sierra Leonean identity over their ethnic identity has dropped by 20 percentage points over the past decade.
The Report of the survey was made public on the 5 March 2023 in the presence of representatives of political parties, civil society, security forces, and the media at the Country Lodge in Freetown.
The Executive Director of IGR, Andrew Lavali noted that as Sierra Leoneans approach the General elections in June 2023, popular attitudes recorded by the latest Afrobarometer survey raised several warning flags over leaders’ commitment to peace in a fragile post-war state.
He said the overall survey findings portrayed a country that is more unified and tolerant than divided, and also highlight trends toward polarization and intolerance.
He further said that the polarization and intolerance include a decrease in the proportion of citizens who identify more strongly with their country than their ethnic group and a growing number, especially in the North and North-West Regions who say the government discriminates against members of their ethnic group.
He also said that the perception of unfair treatment mirrors the situation in 2012 when identity groups in the Eastern region felt unfairly treated by the then-ruling party.
Lavali pointed out that, although a rise in tolerance was recorded in 2020, this was lost as a result of renewed feelings of unfair treatment in opposition areas. He said in the wake of violent anti-government protests in parts of the country last August, these findings point to risks of playing on political divisions along ethnic-regional lines in the run-up to the election.
Key findings of the survey report also indicated that almost nine out of ten respondents which sums up to 88 percent say their identity as Sierra Leoneans is at least as strong as their ethnic identity whereas very few say they feel exclusively 7 percent or predominantly 5 percent attached to their ethnic identity.
It also indicated that about one-third of the citizens, which is 35% say the government treats members of their ethnic group unfairly, at least occasionally, a 22 percentage-point increase compared to 13 percent in 2020.
Citizens from opposition-controlled areas are said to be more likely to say that they experience unfair treatment when their party is not in power. A case study was shown in 2012 under the All Peoples Congress (APC) government where one in four which is 25 percent of respondents from the East said members of their ethnic group “often” or “always” experienced unfair treatment, compared to 5 percent in the North.
In 2022, under the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) government, one in four respondents in the North which is 26 percent feel discriminated against, compared to 13 percent in the East. Almost nine in ten respondents, 86 percent say they trust their relatives “somewhat” or “a lot”. Far fewer expressed trust in people of other religions- 65 percent, their neighbors 60 percent, other citizens 55 percent, and people from other ethnic groups 53 percent.
The report stated that the majority of Sierra Leoneans express tolerance for social differences except for differences in sexual orientation. But the welcoming attitudes toward people of different religions, ethnicities, and political parties have dropped sharply, especially in the past two years.
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. They conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (12/04/23)
